The media and tons of critics have taken HBO and Lena Dunham to task for its new series “Girls” which is essentially a younger, broker 2012 “Sex and the City,” for its lack of diversity, or as Slate contributor and cultural critic Debra Dickerson put it, having “an abundance of chicks with normal bodies, but somehow no negroes.” The issue is that the plot centers on four white main characters who are surrounded by white people in the midst of the melting pot mecca of New York City. I get the absurdity of women being in NYC (and in their residence of Brooklyn) and not ever coming into contact with any people of color—or the three that one writer counted in one episode—but I also think we’re grasping for straws by making a big deal out of the so-called whitewashing of this show.

We live in the world of niche media and though the broad use of the term girls would suggest you could turn the show on and see the girl you are on-screen, that’s not the case as far as skin tone, although interestingly everything else seems to be there. Rebecca Carroll, wrote on The Daily Beast:

“As relatable as I find ‘Girls,’ I can’t also help feeling, well, left out. There are no black girls in ‘Girls.’I feel somewhat cheated. While I have decided that the show is for me, it has decided that I am not for the show.”

I wouldn’t take the omission of black characters quite so personally, although having seen the backlash the series has created, I wouldn’t be surprised if the show did try to ignore race altogether to avoid the inevitable criticism it would still receive. If this show were to throw in the token black girlfriend we’d still be having a fit about her skin tone, her hair texture, the lack of a developed storyline, etc., and I actually respect the fact that the network didn’t even go there if they weren’t going to execute it well. Furthermore, I find the mention of the women in the series having “normal” bodies as evidence that this show aimed to be sort of the anti-thesis to the “Gossip Girl” type of NYC shows we see on-air and everyone knows there’s just as much work to be done on the representation of healthy bodies as there is black women, this just isn’t the show that will break down the latter barrier and that’s OK. We can’t expect every show to be all things to all people.

Furthermore, it’s not our job to say what’s real to some people and not to others. I’m pretty sure the white circle of acquaintances shown in “Girls” is the reality for the creator Lena Dunham. If these girls were black, the immediate people around them would be black as well, despite whatever multiculturalism is in their backdrop. Yes, diverse cultures are all around you in NYC but that doesn’t mean everyone lives them. That’s not the focus of this show and I would venture to say that that’s not inherently problematic.

Others have argued that a simple change in the name could have made all the difference; that had the show been named “Some girls” or even “White girls” then there would be nothing to argue with. By the very appearance of four white women and the obvious realization that all girls are not a monolith, we know this depiction is only some girls. And calling the show white girls would place unnecessary emphasis on the women’s race much like the criticism against it has.

I’m fully in agreement with Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic when he suggests we shouldn’t be asking for inclusion on this show but to be represented on our own version of ‘Girls’” because after all, the response from the series’ writer, Lesley Arfin, to the criticism on Twitter was “What really bothered me most about Precious was that there was no representation of ME.” As he states:

“I think it’s only right to ask whether you really want black characters rendered by the same hands that rendered that tweet. Invisibility is problematic. Caricature is worse.”

Maybe HBO missed an opportunity with “Girls” and maybe it didn’t. Diversity isn’t on everyone’s agenda and that’s because white people simply don’t have to think about it. I’m sure if we were coming up with a series we wouldn’t think to throw in a token white character; the same is true for the other side. And while I know the history of exclusion is far deeper for us, I don’t think it runs that deep for this show. Debating “Girls” is a lost cause and a battle that really doesn’t need to be fought. The bigger picture is to create our own narratives and find a place for them on television not be threaded into a white one.

Do you take issue with the lack of black characters on “Girls?”

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5G3UV47TG33STBZQ5KY7GDTMHQ Astro

Well the funny thing to me is that whenever I watch a Black show with some White character, it’s always a racial dialogue/stereotypes (e.g. White boy, u don’t know Black shiiit, or make the White character racist etc…)

I find nothing offensive about this show. Most folks tend to have mostly friends same race and Asians girls are more likely to hangout with White girls, than Blacks.

I am Black by the way… BET/Black community is always racializing shiiit, yet won’t even include a Black rocker in their so call “real Black” programming.

Chasi-w

Then the rvedly show girlfriends should have had a white girl as a main character but they didn’t talk about that.

20Something

I don’t have a problem with a group of friends on a tv show being all white (or any other race or ethnicity). But rarely seeing Black people or people of other racial backgrounds on a show based in New York city is just silly and unrealistic, especially if these girls are living in Brooklyn. Now far-fetched things taking place on tv isn’t unheard of but for a show like this which seems to think it is a realistic representation of the lives of 20-something women, it seems odd that they would choose a city known for it’s vast mixture of people as the location and then not want to include a mixture of people.

As for not throwing in a token white character on Black series, I disagree. Some Black shows seem to make an effort to add in some diversity or a “token white guy/girl”, perhaps not as a regular character or a main character but sometimes in the form of recurring character (love interest, best friend, neighbor etc.) or even just as co-workers and classmates etc.

I haven’t seen the show so I can’t really make a full critique but from what I’ve read these girls are pretty unlikeable. Wealthy, privileged White girls who want to pretend they’re not privileged all the while whining about privileged problems while refusing to put in the effort and make the sacrifices that unprivileged and/or genuinely ambitious people have to. So if the reviews and summaries I’ve read are correct in that characterization I can easily see these type of women not having Black friends or friends of any other ethnic background and I can easily see any non-white woman, even ones from wealither backgrounds themselves, not wanting to hang out with them. Frankly I think a lot of White women would find them annoying as well. I doubt that the White girl who played lacrosse in college in order to get a scholarship to a state school or the White girl who moved back home to live in her parents house after college would find these women appealing either.

Idk to me the show sounds like a less appealing, all-female, poor man’s version of I Just Want My Pants Back. Due to the fact that it’s on MTV and not HBO and doesn’t have a cast full of actresses who have famous parents, doesn’t get a lot of attention or respect, but it’s a funny, enjoyable, pretty decent depiction of post-college 20 somethings who are trying to make their way in New York.

Mskcooper1027

We are women first that is the unifying factor. I love the relatable themes in the series because we as women experience alot of the same silly crazy everyday nonsense regardless of race… I still am glad we have Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl because of course that’s a lil more relatable for us black girls.

Deloresgford

We just need to have our own damn shows, and be done with it, im sick of black folk always wanting to intergrate, thats why our culture is being washed away, intergration is fine to a certain point, but come on, we should be tired of forcing ourselves to be included, smh and becoming the token black,

LAME

I freakin love this shooooooooooooooooooooow! I’m black, majority of my friends are black, I graduated and currently attend an HBCU and I can still relate to this show. I can identify one of my friends with each of these characters and the ish is HILARIOUS. It’s more about personality traits than skin hues for me. I think the show reflects a lot of diversity. Each of the girls personalities and is totally different from the others. What in the world would skin color do to add to this show?

I have no problem with GIRLS being about four average-looking, vulgar, drug-using white women. I do, however, have problems with the black and white journalists who have criticized the show and its creator, Lena Dunham.

Why would anyone expect Lena Dunham, a white girl who seems to have lived a typical white life, to create a show including non-white people? And why should she?

I’m all for diversity, but I think the critics have taken the diversity meme too far. In fact, I think they’ve turned it on its own head. Diversity accommodates different ideas, different visions, and different shows.

Leave Lena Dunham alone.

http://www.facebook.com/AdarockG Ashlee L. Graham

i don’t really see the big deal. no one made a big deal about “girlfriends” being an all black cast

Emm

I’m 25 years old and black and I love this show. My friends (who are admittedly white) and I really looked forward to it and we always laugh about how we can totally see ourselves in the characters. To me this is all funny because I never once thought about it from a race point of view. Not at any point did I think oh this would be different if it were me because I’m black.

I’m also not one of those people who doesn’t see how race plays into their day to day life. I just thought this was entertainment and not every person is going to look like me. I love the Parkers and I probably look more like Monique than anybody else and I never thought to myself “OMG I really relate to Nicki Parker”

http://profile.yahoo.com/AZE6VOKIYJWFZFZZRLCT7XQXTM keeven

THIS IS NOT NEW! ANYONE REMEMBER SEINFELD AND FRIENDS, BOTH OF THESE SHOWS WHERE BASED IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY, AND BOTH WITH ALL WHITE ACTORS WITH OCCASIONAL ACTORS OF COLOR! HOLLYWOOD IS RACIST PLAIN AND SIMPLE!

LezMiz

It’s not that people are crying for a black girl character. It’s just that in freaking NYC, you will come in contact, and interact with in normal, random encounters, people of different races. If you watch Seinfeld, there were always people of color around, even though the principals were all white. That’s part of why why it felt like NYC. Girls doen’t even feel like it’s in NYC because (in part) its so homogenous. It might as well be in Rapid City, South Dakota. I don’t think it’s wrong to demand realism from shows. If you want to have an all white world, set it in an mostly white city.

Only certain types of people have segregated friend groups. If you don’t try not tot, you will have friends of different races in young Brooklyn. Yeah there are people who aren’t comfortable around people of other races, but you have to play that up because it’s a personality type. It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia has an all white cast and they play it up to comic effect — the characters are kinda bratty and insular and a little bit racist. I think only a certain *type* of girl would not ever interact with any minorities in NYC, but they are presenting themselves as if they are every-girls that we all should be identifying with. Give me a break.

Jenn

Even if there was a black girl on the show…the context doesn’t interest me at all. I saw them on ‘The View’ and something else and never found it to be interesting. ANd if a show is good i.e. Sex and the City…then I don’t feel left out because there is no ‘main black character’ because I related to all four women, at times :). Where as on ‘The Game’ a show ‘for black people’, I related to no one and no longer watch…sorry BET.

GOOD POST

No Disrespect

Um, I think the problem is that diversity ISN’T on everyone’s agenda. Well, you always find white people in every black movie as extras and/or minor or major characters. The fact is, the world IS diverse. There should be plenty of black extras in the show because they are in Brooklyn. I think black people should boycott whitewash shows because frankly the creators, producers, etc are saying that blacks are a non-factor and they aren’t the audience they have in mind so why support such show. It’s 2012 not the 1990’s, HBO needs to do better.

Jessicacurry84

Follow the money. In all these tv shows and films that are produced, follow the money. They have no reason to put blacks on their shows, because they have a big enough market that putting a black person on is of no significance. It will not hurt their pockets.

If you are tired of not seeing your faces on TV, then start supporting black producers, writers, etc. If we do, in time we will see more diversity of Black.

As for me, NO MORE crappy television and movies like ‘Precious,’ ‘For Colored Girls,’ and Tyler Perry films… I am good. I am missing Spike Lee MOVIES…but the sad thing is, we should have more than Spike Lee and even better.

Black American population is around 55million. South Korea who bounced back their economy from being poorer than subsaran Africa 50 years ago to being 13th most developed economy today, also has around 55million people. They now have a bursting economy and have one of the most popular Drama/television productions internationally. They come out with so much every year, to suit the different tastes/colors of their people. Plus a poverty rate of less than 4%. Wow.

For those of you who watch Korean dramas and televsion, you know what I am talking about. Why can’t black Americna do the same? We have the numbers. And a better economy. Why is it that we can’t start out modestly like they did, build momentum, and take the tv industry by storm? Why is it that I live in America and I can’t get proper representation of who I am? Why don’t blacks people support their own. And why is showing the most ugliest sides of our society considered ‘keeping it real? More like keeping it negative and stagnant. Why can’t we look towards greener pastures for our community? Let us glamorize the scientist and factory workers, that work hard and contribute to our societies. We need to put their stories on camera.

I do not need white/jewish media to tell my story. I am looking towards my color to do that. So should the rest of you.

For those of you who are looking for something new and might want to try Nigerian, Korean, and Japanese stuff check out these websites I frequent…

Nigerian &Ghanian FIlms: http://irokotv.com, check out Black Berry Babes’ is a laugh riot. Also Van Vicker, Ramsey Nuaoh, and Tonto Dike movies are great. They have many more. Don’t worry they speak english always.

Korean: DramaFever.com for starters: I loved ‘Mary Stayed Out All Night,’ ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ and ‘Boys Over Flowers’

Trivia: Did you know the top comerial actor in Japan is an African American man. Some blacks have had to ventrue outside of US to get a shot and this guy is doing pretty well for himself. You can check out his commericals on Youtube.

These are just a few suggestions. There is a whole world out there and in American tv they would have you beilieve their world is the only world to look towards.

Ms_Sunshine9898

hey it’s fine with me. i wouldn’t want to be represented on a show that’s clearly about the struggles of upper middle class white women. nothing they talked about on the show was relateable to me or any other black “girls” i know. but i’ll still watch it for the laughs. . . .

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5G3UV47TG33STBZQ5KY7GDTMHQ Astro

Another stereotype I have is this assumption that all Blacks have same lifestyle,interest. It really irks me. Blacks often are the most stereotypical of their own,seriously. Black media does not represent much either.

Gregg Na77

I agree with this article and feel that I do not need to see “us” (black people) in everything because the reality is that we are not in everything. I don’t particularly care to see a show or movie that has an all black or all white cast either; Diversity appeals to me. It’s refreshing to see other cultures as black and white are not the only two in existence. If I turn on the television and come across a show of nothing but white face and do not feel it relates to me, I change the channel instead of complaining about it. If we want more options, we should create the change we want to see;
“Do like the light people do” and write a book or screenplay with diverse characters and sell the idea. Just because there is a sex in the city for white women, does not mean that we need to go out and create a black version of that. Be original about it.

C.G.

After seeing the episode where they go to the clinic… I have to say I am GRATEFUL black women are not represented on this show. Although I find most of it funny, I don’t feel this speaks for my generation and quite frankly if it does I am embarrassed. I prefer black women to create, direct, produce and star in shows about black women rather than have a white woman do it for us.

Kitsy

Let’s put aside the race issue for one second, what I can’t understand are all these people who keep saying they can relate to these characters. I grew up, and still live in NYC. While I find this show mildly entertaining (let’s see how it develops) I can’t relate to them at all.
Within the ethnic enclaves of this city I don’t think anyone (of any race) can relate to these characters experiences. At the age of these girls (early to mid 20s) many [native-born or immigrant] New Yorkers still living at home with big, loud extensive families (because NYC is EXPENSIVE). I don’t know anyone of my friends and associates whose parents are paying their rent while they intern in low or no-paying jobs. The only people I’ve come across like this are my co-workers who moved here from another state and they have well-to-do parents. These chicks are whinny and annoying. If you’re a New Yorker (a real one) you hustle because you know no one is going to hand you anything in this city – you don’t sit around pontificating on park benches about how much your life sucks.
What is so relatable? Maybe its an upper middle-class Manhattan thing because no New Yorker I know from the outer boroughs – Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, definitely not Staten Island – (of any race) acts like these Girls!

camtamabdi

You answered your own question. The show is about upper-middle class Manhattan girls even if the main character can only afford to live in Greenpoint. It’s not about girls from giant loud families in Bay Ridge, that’d be a totally different show. I’m an upper-middle class Manhattan girl and while to me the shows characters seem like more like slight charicatures of real people, I know many many many many young girls who resemble them, and many of them are NYC natives whose parents help with the rent. This is why I can relate to this show highly, but wouldn’t be surprised at all if it failed to find a wide audience. It is about and serves a narrow slice of NYC, of which the creator, NY native Lena Dunham, is a part. I totally understand why she made the show the way it is, but why HBO accepted it as is is another question which probably has a lot to do with Judd Apatow’s cache.

Leelee

@IllyPhilly:disqus
I guess it depends on where you live. I do have friends of other races. Lots of them, actually. I wouldn’t consider them my token friends, they’re just my friends. I guess that’s why I’m surprised when it comes to the diversity of some of these shows. My town is pretty much equal in the proportion of races, and I live in the Midwest. We all live in the same neighborhoods, poor or rich. Which isn’t to say that there isn’t racism, there is. But everyone has to deal with living among each other. I guess the main thing is not expecting everyone else to be living the same reality as I do. Simply put, those girls just don’t live in my reality.

Editor

I found the first two episodes of this show to be boring and silly
because I could not relate to the “problems” of these particular people;
probably because of their ages (maturity level).

While I prefer to see diversity in diverse places (as one would expect
with NYC as the backdrop of this show), I understand that this show is
about these particular young, annoying, “privileged,” White girls. Not
every story has to be about me (and not all Black stories are about me
either, for the record. We are diverse as African-Americans and Black people in general).

We Black people have to stop looking for validation in other people, and
respect and showcase ourselves. I know that’s not easy to do
(especially in the entertainment industry), but it can done, and it is
being done. When you love yourself, you don’t need the validation or
approval of everyone else, and being slighted by them (or flat-out
disrespected by them) doesn’t have to hurt as much because you know who
you are and you know your worth. People of other “racial” (I put that
word in quotes because race is a social construct), ethnic, religious,
and geographic groups are not so vocal (if at all) about their lack of
representation in television and film because they aren’t trying to get
“mainstream White people” to highlight them, showcase them, or accept
them. Other people go out and do it on their own, and damn it, we can,
too.

Bottom line: this show just isn’t about “us.” And I’m cool with that.

Am3lya_tandi

Black people stop with the beggar mentality already! Do your own thing, support your businesses don’t let other people dictate you… Honestly if there was a black character in this show she would probably be the sassy token black friend with no storyline of her own which we don’t need anymore.

Am3lya_tandi

P.S: It always cracks me up when you guys say New York is a melting pot and yet everybody just lives in their corner and they don’t really associate with one another. That’s not what melting means to me… Just saying.

Candacey Doris

Not everyone lives in their own corner, but i know what you’re saying. Like i said, there are places you can go without even seeing a white person in NYC. But if you work or go anywhere at all there you’re going to see each other. It would be weird to see a NY where there’s no one but one race.

Black is Beautiful

Please they will be quick to put in a Black guy in though or a mixed looking girl. And what’s up with the new thing of putting Black guys with white wgirls now…no more Black couples. Speak up Black women. Now that”s disturbing.

Jessicacurry84

Black people need to stop this. Leave white shows alone! Nothing good can come out of forcing your way into white media. F*ck that. Blacks in America are around 55million. We have the numbers to create what we want. Stop expecting white /Jewish media to put us in their sh*t. Why would you even want to be in their shows? They SUCK. There are few American shows I can really watch, mainly the Game. I watch Nigerian, Korean, and Japanese stuff mostly. Quality characters with quality story lines. Why waste my time on American racist crap.

Black people, we need to focus on making our own sh*t, we don’t need Hollywood to tell our stories. You saw what happened with ‘Precious,’ ‘The Help,’ and ‘Avitar’. After those movies, I was done with black movies produced by white producers. I am sick of the Aunt Jemima BS.

We need to encourage and focus on black producers and writers and support them. And not waste our time watching white/jewish produced shows that tell the world they are the best and blacks and everyone else are subpar.

Candacey Doris

I don’t care if there are no black women in their show. But no one but white people at all? In NYC? There are some parts of NYC you can go to and never see a white person at all! Not even a Chinese or Indian person? Really? That’s just weird to me.

Jessicacurry84

Honestly who cares whether they embrace diversity or not. Black people in general should just leave it alone and focus on us. I am tired of seeing white faced ethnocentrism. I am only interested in black shows in America. I don’t trust any black character written by a white person. After Precious I learnt my lesson.

Editor

“After Precious I learnt my lesson.”
What???
Do you know who wrote the book?
*SMDH*

Jessicacurry84

Yeah I know exactly who wrote it. It was Saphire. I was not surprised because at the end of the day, there are still black people who hate their race. And whites will glady fund it (to prove: ‘See we did black people a favor by slavery, because they are innately savages’).
Did you not notice in that sh*tastic film that all the dark skin people were monsters? While the lighter skinned people were the good ones? NEVER again will I watch such trash in my life. Just because a black person wrote that sh*t does not mean that it is worth watching. White people get movies like ‘The Notebook’ and ‘Good Will Hunting’ (American persepctive, love, redemption, etc) while black people get ‘Precious’ and ‘For Colored Girls’ (rape, beatings, incest). I am good with that crap.
Never again will I subject myself to those soul killing dramatic tragedies. For those of you who like that crap and being inspired by watching people who get raped, molested and abused (as if it is second nature to black society); then go with it. I am looking towards greener pastures.

guest121

The author of Precious is black, the filmmaker and the script writer was also black. Do your research.

Jessicacurry84

Who funded it? I did my research. That crap is what white people like seeing of black epople. They can give Monique an Academy award goe acting liking a wild beast but they cannot give Angela Bassest on Oscar for the many outstanding roles she has played. I don’t care if Saphire is black, it is a crying shame that white media only gives credit to black people when they show an animalistic side. Maybe YOU should do some research. I am tired of housen*ggers and coons that are so uneducated that they think that, anything produced by black people trying to get a check is good for our community. You need to look further my friend. Have YOU ever wondered why they can give precious and the Help AWARDS? Basically when black people know their place and don’t try to ‘act’ or do better than white people, then everything is fine and dandy. Get you head out of your *ss.

Dove

i think u r way off in your assessment. We need to let the decision makers know what the public thinks. I am personally tired of the white washing of shows. And given I pay for HBO they have an obligation to give its audiences what they want and deserve.

Jaye

Personally, I don’t want to watch a show that just throws in a black character to avoid this kind of controversy. That type of situation lends itself to the creation of 2 dimensional, stereotypical depictions of ethnic characters, something that is much more distasteful to me than not being represented in a white show at all.

This show is so awkward, I’m on the fence as to whether I enjoy it or not

A.J.

I think that people wouldn’t be as annoyed if there were a greater variety of Black representation on television. I don’t look to the media, in any form, to validate me as a Black woman. But it is frustrating when you can’t turn to another or channel to find something that does represent you.

Jessicacurry84

If you are frustrated then STOP WATCHING. Seriously why give a flying f*ck what white/jewish producers put out there? they are just promoting themselves and serving their community. Why should they want to produce black characters or shows? Why? They are not black. Why expect them to give you that?

We blacks need to support our own. We don’t have the funding they have to produce grand shows but we can tell our stories modestly and in time and with momentum we will get fancy. But I don’t look for fancy. I look for great acting and good storylines. I can handle a bad camera if the story is well told.

Therefore I mostly watch Nigerian, Korean, and Japanese television and movies. They are just better than American tv on so many levels. In Nigerian films you get full representation of the different colors of black and their stories are fun and entertaining. I am over American drivel. But I do support American black media and shows where I can.

Forget these white shows. Black people need to stop looking toawrd them for diveristy. Guess what? Hollywood don’t want you there, and they don’t give a damn because their market is the majority.

African Americans can create their own Hollywood. It is time to really break away and do our own thing. Like the Nigerian film industry is doing. Go Nollywood!

imahrtbrkbeat

I just feel like there’s not enough representation, period. I’m one of the many people, female of color, trying to break in and do a show like this, particularly for girls of this age set. How To Make It In America did it, what’s the excuse for this show?

I was also a bit bothered by Dunham’s comments, which she essentially said “We’ll get to that if there is a second season” — don’t patronize us if you never fully intended on including minorities period. It’s not just about Black Americans to me — it’s everyone. In my opinion, I feel that this could have been a bit more valuable and a bit more groundbreaking if they did focus on the fact that all “Girls” go through this phase…but as my professors always told me, write what you know…and I guess Dunham doesn’t really know anyone outside of her white privileged life.

Wilforde

I totally understand your comment, but i agree with the author of this article. You have to understand the excuse for this show is that the producers wanted an all white living in an all white world. We all know that’s almost impossible in NYC and that’s why the show will be a failure. I grew up in NYC, been here since i was 8, i’m 34 now, and honestly i didn’t have friends of other races until i was about 27, 28. NYC is a melting pot but racism and discrimination still exist. I feel like we have enough black shows on TV where we don’t have to complain about not seeing black characters on other shows. I’ve never seen that show nor do i plan to. Instead of compaining about a little cable TV show, why don’t we focus on the discrimination within the black race??? let’s try to improve our own relationship with one another…

BLACKNUBIAN

Aware about the show and concept but never watched or cared b/c I knew the cast would be all white. Diversity is important! @@b667dd29bc70ad6504bc6580aa3aef34:disqus A lot of black ppl aren’t complaining, we are hindered by racist producers and the entertainment industry period. As a Black person you should ask why aren’t we in more commercials or sitcoms? For years I’ve noticed young White kids getting the opportunity to act on great shows that a Black young kid probably wanted, was qualified but b/c society has a certain perception towards Black people they choose White. So it’s not about complaining, it’s about being tired of the BS and having a valued opinion and treated equal. If we as Black ppl start talking and feeling the way you feel the next generation (ME) should give up and embrace the error of 1959. “I DON’T THINK SO!” Thanks to Tyler Perry our talent is being put out there!!!!!!#ProBlack #Just sayin

IllyPhilly

How many of us really has a token friend of another race? Personally I think having that one Black person does more harm than help. That’s why The Wire is and will always be the BEST TV work ever!!!

http://twitter.com/decembersugar meh

i dont take issue with it but i am disappointed in the actual show tho. its boring
but i still wanna hold on

Stippia

I dont want to seeva black girl behaving like these snowhos..

Tiff

I saw an interview the actresses had on The View, and I honestly thought the same thing…”wait, where am I at?” After listening to the creator, director, and actress of the series, I kind of understood more. She is of the white privilege and so are her co-stars. She merely chose her friends…and if given the same opportunity, I dont think “sistas” would do any different.

Vanillaruis

Not the first show, not the last.

Kimwripatt99

You know what ?As a black person I’m getting tired of Black people complaining about the absence of us in certain shows.Look we have all black shows where their is not a white person in the bunch.Honestly, some people hang out with people that look like them and sometimes shows just reflect that.Sometimes the absence of a certain race does’nt always have to be looked at as a deliberate act.STOP IT PLEASE!

mochaaa

Exactly!! this is exactly how it is in ny. there’s lots of segregation but people are so hung up on this diverse melting pot crap that we don’t even see it. honestly even if there were black girls in this show i wouldn’t watch it and i doubt other blacks would. how come asians and hispanics don’t complain about not being in shows.

SuZQ

Maybe not always a white main character on some black shows, but the vast majority of the 90s black shows had white, latino, and asian characters. Shows based on upper middle class white people are the only shows I have seen where practically the entire world is only white.

Smacks_hoes

Finally somebody spoke the words I’ve been saying for years!! My brother is black but he has all white friends because white boys accepted his personality before black boys did. People hang out with who makes them comfortable. My thing is that we as a race are becoming way to racially sensative it seems as if black people look
for things to be Offended by
even though they may not be racially motivated. Please CUT
IT OUT!!!! It’s getting out if hand. As soon as people stop being so freaking obsessed with people’s race and ethnicity things would be so much better!!

No Disrespect

Yeah, but the WORLD your brother lives in HAS black people. You miss the point. It’s fine to have all white main characters, the problem is when the characters are walking down the street or they attend an event or enter a store, they should encounter more black people than 3 especially because they are in Brooklyn. Lol, keep in mind that if there was a show about your brother and his friends, there would be a black character – your brother. So even your brothers all white friends have a black friend. That is the world we live in. White people know black people, but HBO ignores that fact. The world is not whitewashed.

Just Sayin’

Thank God for “The Misadventures of AWKWARD Black Girl”. To me it’s much better than this show, #noracism

Rhonda Newman

Yess I agree w/ you 200%!! Do u have any idea when the new season starts?

MIssK

Oooh! I always forget to check back for new episodes…thank you for reminding me!

Just Sayin’

Thank God for “The Misadventures of AWKWARD Black Girl”. To me it’s much better than this show, #noracism